Peace Path Warrior, Tibetan Lama Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche
By Terry Reis Kennedy
I’m on the peace path again! Please join me. You can help by spreading the Truth. You are not impotent as many would have you believe, unable to do anything but accept things that you could change.
Peace does not mean non-reaction. It means nonviolence. I, for one, believe you’ve got to do something when you see your fellow earth travelers being persecuted. Jesus said: Turn the other cheek, when the bully slugs you. He did not say: Pretend the bully isn’t there. I don’t really know what Buddha might have said about tactical police maneuvers that eviscerate human values. But I say broadcast the crimes against humanity.
So, I’m resorting to my megaphone tactics. On December 18th I received information about the Chinese government’s continuing oppression of Tibetans. This time, the people of the Tibetan area of Kham defied a security crackdown to demonstrate in support of a long-imprisoned Tibetan high lama, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, 60, who is a revered religious teacher and peace path warrior.
According to sources, “Increased numbers of armed police and troops have been stationed in towns and villages where protests occurred –in an area that is already tense since demonstrations against Chinese rule spread across Tibet in March 2008. The movement of people in protest areas is now restricted and in one area soldiers have warned local people that they will shoot to kill if necessary.”
The fact that Kham-area protests continue during this time of crackdown indicates the influence and popularity of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche. His supporters are not only Tibetans but they are Chinese Buddhists as well, along with thousands of peace-minded people all over the world.
Before he was arrested and detained in 2002 on alleged bombing charges which he denies, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche’s humanitarian projects gave hope to his devotees. For example, he founded schools for nomad children, set up homes for the aged, worked with local officials to protect forests and was well-known for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture. He was like the sun on the Tibetan flag, a bright symbol in a dark time.
Now he is wasting away in Mianyang Prison in Sichuan. “There are fears for his welfare as his health is poor,” sources state.
Following peaceful protests involving hundreds of people on December 5, 2009, a group of local lamas appealed to the county government to allow his followers to see their beloved Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, fearing that if this request was not granted, Tibetans in the area might “rise up in protest.”
And this appears to be exactly what has happened. But who has the power to dim the sun forever? No one.
Yes! Bullies everywhere are waiting to be subdued. It really is hard to transform the self, let alone sadistic hordes. But I refuse to be hypnotized by a global war consciousness. I’ve got my megaphone and my prayer beads and I believe that following the path of peace, the Truth really will set us free—and Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche as well.
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Ms. Terry Reis Kennedy is a poet, journalist, and Tibetologist.
